Latécoère 631

The Latécoère 631 was a civil transatlantic flying boat built by Latécoère, the largest ever built up to its time. The boat had six piston engines, and was designed for passenger service. Ordered in the late 1930s, its first flight was in 1942; it went on to a limited amount of use up to 1950. However, the type was not a success, being unreliable and uneconomic to operate. It was withdrawn from service after a series of fatal accidents. Five of the eleven aircraft built were written off in accidents and one was lost during World War II.